All Around Us

American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor - American Indian Library Association
Pura Belpré Illustrator Award Honor - American Library Association (ALA)

This gorgeous picture book -- winner of the Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor and American Indian Youth Literature Award Picture Book Honor -- celebrates the circles that surround us, in the sky, the earth, our neighborhoods, ourselves ... if we just dare to look for them.

Grandpa says circles are all around us. He points to the rainbow that rises high in the sky after a thundercloud has come. "Can you see? That's only half of the circle. That rest of it is down below, in the earth." He and his granddaughter meditate on gardens and seeds, on circles seen and unseen, inside and outside us, on where our bodies come from and where they return to. They share and create family traditions in this stunning exploration of the cycles of life and nature.

This mind-bending, heart-opening book marked the impressive debut of Xelena González and Adriana M. Garcia as picture-book creators.

Xelena González practices the healing arts through writing and movement. She is a storyteller, dancer, and visiting author who centers self-love in her multi-disciplinary workshops for all ages. Her award-winning picture books include All Around Us and Where Wonder Grows. A former librarian and enrolled member of the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation, Xelena has become a sought-after speaker on topics such as radical self love, creative early literacy strategies, inhabiting story through music and movement, and reclaiming indigenous identity in Latinx communities. She still lives in San Antonio, where she grew up. Find out more at xelena.space.

Adriana M. Garcia is a visual artist, a muralist, and an illustrator. She is the recipient of a Pura Belpré Illustrator Award for Where Wonder Grows and a Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor for All Around Us, both picture books by Xelena González. Garcia has exhibited her artwork nationally and has presented at conferences, schools, and museums around the United States. She especially loves painting portraits of strong women to honor those who have come before and those who continue to lead by example. Garcia lives in San Antonio, Texas, and you can find her online at adrianamjgarcia.com.